cast no shadow

Hi. Hello! Not sure where to start, so here's what's on my mind...

• The day before yesterday we (my sister's and I) became friends with our neighbours because a fire broke out in their yard and they needed help sorting it out. Isn't that a funny way to start a friendship? Anyway, I became friends with their pets too, and I even went exploring to the beautiful hidden lake behind this field. Going to places like this makes me miss my Nana and her farm so much. I've been feeling really sad about her death lately and going to this property made me feel incredibly nostalgic for her presence and her stories and just, her. I feel like I didn't spend enough time with her and I just miss her a lot. I wish she would just come back down from heaven for even just a day so she can tell me some stories and so I can ask her advice etc. Thinking about her makes me so proud to be part of this family. I just wish that she was here and she could see how much I've grown up, and I want to make her proud. 
• This dress is so pretty and I love the way it looks against the sunlight/ green meadows etc. Autumn is as beautiful as ever. 
• Year 12 has been quite good; although my coughing and sneezing attacks are still lingering persistently and no amount of tissues seem to be helping. But it's going well; I've been hanging out with my friends as much as I can before school work gets intense, and tomorrow night is the school's annual 'Theatresports' competition. It's absolutely hilarious, and although Lauren and I are going to that event straight after the gym (I am going to be DEAD), it'll be plenty of fun!
• Oasis has been resurrected from the depths of my music folders! Man, it's good. I was having epic O.C marathons in the school holidays and hearing 'Champagne Supernova' and 'Wonderwall' was like a step back in time. 
• I've been using my Modcloth Style Gallery account a lot more lately! Check it out here.
• White tea w/ honey and banana on toast with cinnamon has been the default breakfast lately.
• Tomorrow is May, one of the purtiest months on the calender! Two of my closest girls are celebrating 17 years of niftiness this month.  
• I'm good. That's good. We're all good. Which is good. 

I hope you're all having a nice week so far - happy Wednesday! Only two more days until the weekend! You can do it! 

P.S: If you know what album from Oasis the title of this post came from off the top of your head...  let's be the best of fans now! 

Diary XIII

Snazzy tip from a visually stimulated girl: Make things interesting and sip your drinks from a jar! Not only are you recycling your old pasta sauce bottles, but everything looks so much fancier with crushed ice and a striped straw. Add some lemon or grapefruit for some extra flavour - and plenty of extra health benefits! Perfect for drinking during a hectic homework sesh. Everything looks better in a jar!

We visited Maison de Provence, my favourite French cafe located in Cooroy, at the weekend for a catch-up with two of my favourite relatives in the whole wide world (shout out to you both!!). Every time I visit the cafe, I'm always in awe at how beautiful the table settings are and how beautiful and elaborate the flower arrangements are. I definitely want to visit the local nursey now and plant a pretty botanic in a tea pot now...

After consuming the most delectable vanilla slice in all existence, we paid a visit to the five gorgeous pups that Aunty Michelle and Uncle Andrew own. Now, before meeting Doug, Jose, Frankie, Poppy and Milly, I was not a dog person at all. Terribly afraid of canines and all that slobber. I've been converted! Dog loving has been established! I love them so much, especially Frankie; he's so plump and fluffy. 

And speaking of dogs, today, I hung out at our neighbours house and became friends with Archie, a cattle dog, and from today onward I have decided that as soon as I move out, I'm buying a dog. Anyway, after picking grapefruits and exploring the property further with the dogs, I was shown the prettiest lake. It's perfect for reading and admiring from the base of a tree trunk. Tomorrow I'm hoping to take some outfit pictures near the lake because the lighting is absolutely magical!

Two of my favourite things about Autumn: the sunsets, and my ten year old sister's apple pie. So good.

Today was actually a brilliant Monday for me! School itself was quite mundane but I received really great results back for my English assignments last term and I'm over the moon as I didn't expect it! I hope you all had a good day too, and don't forget to enter the giveaway! xo

P.S: Would you like to see a skin update? Things have been going really well lately with roaccutane and I think I'm due for some progress pictures and a general update. Let me know if you'd like to see it!

Giveaway: Win a ThinkPad Yoga Laptop from Lenovo! *CLOSED*

Today I am sharing something very exciting with you all! As you may have noticed, I partnered with Lenovo earlier this year and I am giving away a brand new ThinkPad Yoga laptop (worth over $1,000) to one lucky reader! Unfortunately it's only open to Australian residents, but I'm celebrating my four years blogging anniversary next month so I'll organise something for everyone then! 

I am so happy to be giving away a laptop to one of you - the Thinkpad can be used for every aspect of every day life, whether it be for blogging, studying and leisure. I did a whole blog post about it just recently, if you'd like to check it out!

EDIT: Congratulations to the random winner, Rhiannon C. from Queensland! Thanks to everyone for entering! xo

The giveaway will close on the 5th of May, 2014, and all entries will be numbered and a winner will be selected by random draw. I'll announce it shortly after! I hope you all have a lovely day, good luck!

state of grace

Target dress, Kitten D'Amour hair flower, Oasap bag, Kmart shoes 

Thank goodness for the written word or else I wouldn't have any other way to communicate... my voice is on the verge of defeat and I probably will have lost the ability to speak by tomorrow as I've spent today sounding like a frog, incessantly coughing, talking to elderly people and handing out Easter eggs, and lazing around trying really hard to recover from lack of sleep and this awful illness that took me by surprise on Wednesday. Izzy and I even went thrift shopping on Thursday and it resulted in me having a sneezing attack in the change-room which was incredibly embarrassing. I blame the snap change in the weather! The nights are so much cooler now; hence the wearing of a thick, black dress. 

Tomorrow and the next are my last two days of freedom before I go back to school and in reflection, I've had pretty darn good holidays. The last two weeks have been a flurry of social events with friends and family and relaxing and avoiding anything school related. Tomorrow will be even better too with an Easter lunch with the family, and hopefully they'll be an opportunity for me to squeeze in some English assignment work. But probably not. 

I hope you all have a lovely Easter break (if you celebrate it!). It's always nice to remember how much Jesus sacrificed for us while He was on Earth and sometimes I brush my faith aside, so it's nice having the reminder there. I'll be back soon! xo

diary XII // wedding

The weekend had been a flurry of wedding activity as we prepared for my Aunty Jo's beautiful wedding on Monday. The ceremony was held at a tiny little chapel in the hinterland and accommodated about a hundred close family and friends to celebrate the day. The reception followed a few hours later and everyone had a lovely time sharing stories and catching up with old family and friends! In between shredding the "d-floor" with my new friends Kerry and Cara and my cousins and sisters, wonderful food and drink was consumed while we listened to the speeches from the bride and groom. 

One of my favourite parts about weddings is getting all frocked up! I bought a light blue spotted dress inspired  by the 1950s  paired with a nude pair of heels (which I destroyed five minutes after arriving to the wedding - it was a similar trip to this video and it was so hilarious!) and silver jewellery. 

Have you been to any weddings recently? Hope you're all having a lovely week so far (happy wednesday!), I go back to school on Tuesday so I need to make the absolute most out of the rest of my week! xo

floriental

 Thrifted anorak, Temt skirt and top, Kmart shoes, StyleLately necklace

When it comes to print mixing, I think the best way to achieve a balanced look is the make sure that there's at least one solid colour in the ensemble. This outfit was something I threw together today and I was surprised at how nicely the colours complimented each other! I'm slightly in love with this coat; it's not a colour I would usually turn to but I've been experimenting more with my style lately and I'm so glad I bought it off the $3 rack at the local opshop. It's in amazing condition for a second-hand item, it's comfortable, warm and goes with just about everything in my closet; especially this floral pairing. 

I'm currently enjoying the first set of holidays for Year 12 and it's been absolutely blissful. I think I've caught up on sleep from last year, read enough books to satisfy my deprivation of the written word to get me through the next few months and above all, relaxed. On Tuesday I went down to Brisbane to tour the ABC studios with a couple friends, on Saturday I'm off to see Macbeth (hopefully it will help me with the Shakespeare assessment in Semester 2), on Sunday night I'm celebrating one of my best friend's birthdays and on Monday, my Aunty is getting married. It's going to be a fantastically busy next few days and you'll hear all about it soon! Happy Wednesday!

P.S: The title of this post was a perfect example of me trying to be witty... and failing. Floral skirt + oriental print top = floriental. Also, that's the last time I'll ever attempt fashion and mathematical equations again! Ha-ha.
P.P.S: Today is my sister Gabi's birthday! If you're reading this Gab, I love you and miss you and hope you had a splendid day. xo

My blogging lifestyle

Busy Blogger // Avenue Maria 

Being a blogger for nearly four years has made writing for the internet and developing an online identity an aspect of my every day life. Somehow, since May of 2010, I have managed to write for Avenue Maria in between the hectic happenings of school, my social life and also my part-time job and having many "stuck in a rut" situations and  being *this* close to giving up on it, I've never quit. Blogging is fun, unique and has enhanced my creativity and helped me blossom into the young woman I am today - who is still figuring things out, mind you. 

Today I thought I would share with you a few aspects of what blogging is like as a part of my world, featuring a wonderful techno toy from Lenovo, and super awesome computer brand that has partnered with my blog and I.  

Stand position // Staying Organised  

Over the last two weeks I've been lucky enough to try out the ThinkPad Yoga Ultrabook from Lenovo. The thing I've loved most about it so far is that it converts into so many different positions to make things a little easier and more convenient than usual. It's not your average laptop... it can fold into three different modes: a tablet, a stand and a 'tent' position. The stand position is shown above and it's perfect for when I'm reading other blogs or writing up sticky note reminders. The screen is still touch and an on-screen keyboard is available as well - while the actual keyboard is locked into place so you don't start typing something you didn't intend to! (This feature is particularly useful for clumsy people... like me!)

When it comes to blogging and staying organised, the only thing that keeps me posting at all is organisation and time management. Life gets incredibly busy, and it's especially so in year 12. Making lists, alarms and setting aside days and times to dedicate to blogging is the best way to stay organised and make sure I'm getting at least one post up each week. 

Tablet Mode // Editing pictures // Wardrobe 

The tablet mode is wonderful for editing pictures. With the special sensor pen, I can draw and write on my pictures and then edit them further on Photoshop. It's so much easier than connecting up a hand writing app and the results are just as personal and unique. 

Editing photos is a major part of my blogging lifestyle as well. I've found that having a good camera helps, but the editing is definitely the most important aspect of a blog's aesthetic. I've been using photoshop ever since I was fifteen by making up my own curves and actions to brighten and enhance my photos. 

Wardrobe wise, it can be hard finding new outfit combinations and new locations, however I think because my clothing has become quite limited over the last few months (after the major summer clean out I did over the Christmas holidays), it's definitely challenged my creative styling and even the switching around of the most simple pieces can make a world of difference. I'm so excited though - there's a big package from Oasap coming soon with lots of new clothes to style for Avenue Maria!! Stay tuned for that! 

Laptop Mode // Keeping Inspired // My Style 

Inspiration is a key element for keeping things fresh, unique and diverse when blogging. I love reading back-issues of Teen Vogue, Frankie and Harper's Bazaar give me ideas on how to reinvent my personal style on days where I'm not feeling as enlightened. Reading other style blogs also helps infinitely as I can take little snippets of inspiration, colour combinations and ideas from people who know how to rock it! 

I don't really consider myself a "trend-follower" or a wearer of mainstream, hipster clothing; it's mainly about what I like to wear and what I feel comfortable in and that is: the classic style. Full skirts, floaty tops, quirky prints and vintage-cut dresses are the things that usually adorn my body when I leave the house. I think that is good too, because I'm starting to find my niche when it comes to my style and what my style is all about. I think blogging has really helped that.

Locations // Finding places to take pictures 

One of the most exciting parts of blogging is the unlimited creativity that comes with taking outfit pictures. Sometimes I take pictures wearing a themed outfit and find a location to match, and other times I wear outfits that are examples of what I had worn recently. Finding locations is always really fun and can compliment the outfit perfectly. I usually shoot outfits after school around six in the afternoon during Summer, and four in the afternoon during Winter. Sometimes my sister and I traipse around the whole neighbourhood and take plenty of pictures at all different locations. 

This picture is of the same outfit, three times, but as you can see, the location makes all the difference in creating a different vibe each time! Let me know in the comment which location was your favourite :)

Tent // Writing // Relaxing 

Aside from juggling it with school work and keeping up with comments, emails and other social networks (which, let's be honest, I never do!), blogging is one of the most rewarding occupations I could possibly have begun. I couldn't think of anything better than jumping into my bed on a Saturday night curled up with a hot chocolate, watching a movie or reading some blogs written by the wonderful friends I've made over the internet, as well as compiling my own content. 

Speaking of watching movies too, the tent position on the ThinkPad is the best way! It's perfect for propping up between pillows or resting on your chest if you want to lie on your back (hopefully that's not just me, haha!). 

I think it's so fantastic having a blog like this. Not only can my readers, my family and friends, as well as myself see how much I have changed through the visual aspects of my blog, but also the textual side of it too. Without records or pictures or anything like that, important memories and pictures and all that jazz can get lost in the flurry of life, but my testimony is published on the World Wide Web for people to see. It's going to take me places that I've never been before and lead me to people I'd never even imagine meeting! If you have a blog, keep going! If you don't have one, start one up! Write about what you love. Write about the things that make you happy. Share your story and you'll be surprised at the amount of people who will be willing to lend an ear to your voice. I never thought my acne post last year would receive so much positive feedback and that I had helped so many people. 

Anyway, I hope this gave you all a nice little glimpse into my blogging life and what it looks like! A big thank you to Lenovo for the amazing new laptop, too. It's perfect for school (completing those wretched research assignments), watching movies and of course, blogging to my hearts content. I'm on holidays now so I can finally respond to emails etc! Have a lovely day everyone ♥